Bubble Bath
by FanfictionForSantana
Summary: Minako takes a bubble bath to try and soothe her aches and pains. Though she never expected one of her friends to suddenly pop in... (each chapter, different character, different scenario, different ending)
1. Minako

It was too long of a day.

Not only were the school days becoming more frustrating with all the tests and studying as well as social drama swimming around the school community, it seemed like a never ending battle in the underbelly of Tatarus. It was already enough with schoolwork and mid-terms, but there were shadows to fight off too! Even without all of the issues among the school (both its daytime and nighttime shenanigans), there was no stopping the hustle when arriving at the dorm. Every which way, someone or something would come up with a problem and apparently only Arisato could solve it. Her feet were achy, her back was shot, her calves were pulsing, and her hands were still stinging red from the use of her spear. There was no instance where Minako could take a break…

Until now.

Desperate to have a few moments to herself, she swiped a good pair of clean clothes, snatched some soap from the top of her drawer, and scampered to the bathroom. Her mind was set on that round porcelain tub filled with water. She shut the door closed; she left the door unlocked though. She did want privacy here and there, but if there was ever a problem or even an emergency, she would always leave the door open. Perhaps on the off chance if there were a fire, it'd take more time to unlock the door when in a panic. "Better safe than sorry," she would always say to herself. Besides, when the bathroom door was simply closed, people (mostly just Mitsuru) would knock before even questioning about entering.

She leaned over and twisted the handles, at which point warm water began to flow freely through the tub. She then took her soap and squeezed the bottle just under the faucet. She smiled with anticipation as large bubbles and suds filled along with the water. She began to undress: her ribbon, her headphones (she'd probably tear up if those ever got wet and damaged, she thought…), her jacket, her skirt, her under shirt, her shoes and stockings… finally she pulled out her hair clip and let her hair fall. She enjoyed that feeling way too much.

One leg at a time, she stepped into the tub. She gripped the sides and slowly sat down, along with letting out a deep and relaxed sigh. It felt like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket just out of the dryer. The feeling of being completely immersed and wrapped in liquid heat: a full, intoxicating feeling.

She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the rushing water that continued to fill the tub. She was surprised that she had never thought about using the tub before; usually she opted for the shower. It was quicker, easier, and used less water. Though a shower hardly gives the amount warmth and attention as a bath does. You could crank the temperature as high you wanted it, but a shower would never wash your full body entirely (at least the dorm's shower didn't do that; you'd be lucky if the shower pressure was able to completely wash the shampoo out of your hair).

Eventually she leaned forward and twists the knobs to halt the water flow. She wanted to scrub her aching muscles, but decided to lie back and let the heat do its work first. Sometimes just lying in a bath could heal your muscles.

It was here that her mind felt somewhat at rest; no thoughts about Tatarus, no thoughts about school, surely no thoughts about the dorm and friends. Just simply blank.

But there was no time for her thoughts to get recollected as the door to the bathroom abruptly opened.


	2. Yukari

Enter Yukari, who seemed to have a real need to rush to the bathroom for whatever reason. She seemed practically out of breath by the time she rushed in, the door being pushed wide open yet closed in a split second. At first she thought she was alone; it took her a moment to realize that the lights of the bathroom were on and it was already occupied by another person.

She yelped in surprise, as if in fear, but then she realized it was Minako. Naked, no less.

"O-Oh…! I-I didn't know you were in here!" she spoke embarrassedly. She seemed a little ashamed, but she tried not to think much of it since the two were both girls and quite close as friends. It was nothing new to her; they both had the same parts, nothing special. After all, they both used the hot springs together and each complimented the other on skin tones and textures, even feeling each other's hands to prove the other wrong.

Minako had blushed and covered herself with her hands only in instinct, but relaxed a bit when she saw the familiar face. She looked at her in annoyance, but was relieved that it wasn't a guy, mainly Junpei who could have tried to creep in and get a look at something for his own entertainment. "It's fine… you didn't hear the water running at all?"

Yukari chuckled a little, "Nah, I guess not… I just came back from the store to pick up a few things. I didn't realize I had to use the bathroom until I was halfway home…"

Ah, it was true. Yukari did drink a lot of water, so whenever they went out to the movies or something, a bathroom break was always in order. Minako could believe this story, and it was just Yukari so it wasn't too suspicious.

"H-hey, I can always go to the guy's bathroom or something, it's no big deal. You look way too comfy anyway, I wouldn't want to make it awkward. Though, I guess I kinda already did," she suggested and giggled a bit to lighten the mood, shrugging at herself for waltzing in on accident.

"Well… if you wouldn't mind," Minako said with a smile. Between the two, it wasn't really awkward to be honest with one another. It seemed pretty fresh to actually have someone you could tell everything to and not be judged. Minako liked to think of the two as sort of "best friends," since Fuuka seemed partial to Junpei and Koromaru, and Mitsuru liked to be alone though on occasion relate with Akihiko. Her relationship with Yukari was very light-hearted; of course it could be awkward at points but the two usually laughed it off. This would be one of those moments anyhow.

Yukari nodded and smiled back, "You got it, girl," and she turned to begin to leave. "Oh, hey, by the way, enjoy your bath. You looked beat today. If you want someone to rub your back, just call me, okay?"

Minako giggled softly and nodded, and Yukari rushed to the next nearest bathroom.


	3. Junpei

"Man," Junpei said to himself, "How do I get myself into these situations?"

He trudged up the stairs at Mitsuru's request, carrying a light bulb. Though usually the maintenance would fix a broken light, she insisted that Junpei fix it to save the poor man time and energy. He was in no mood to be Fix-It Felix, but he figured it'd give him something to do at least, and he'd be doing a favor for the girls by switching out the bad bulb for the good one. Besides, he always took pride in being somebody's hero, especially if it was for a group of girls with whom he lived. He could be the man; the one who killed the giant bugs, the one who could repair anything and everything. He liked feeling important and his usefulness boosted his self-esteem as well as his attitude.

Just as he was starting to feel a bit better about the job, he came to the bathroom door and opened it with a whistle. The light tune suddenly went flat as his eyes widened, pausing in surprise when he saw Minako occupying space.

His face was instantly shot with red as he noticed her bare skin… her shoulders, her collarbone, and a little lower, her… but Minako covered them in embarrassment with a shriek.

"M-minako! Oh man, I-I…!" he stammered. What could he say? He just walked in on her, naked in the bath. "I-I'm sorry! I just came to switch a bulb and…!" He was trembling and couldn't help but stare at her. As her face started to flush with red, he came to his senses and looked down, ashamed. There was no saving himself from this one.

Minako jumped in fear as he walked in, though she believed his story about the light bulb. After all, he was holding it right in his hand and he genuinely didn't look like he was spying on her just for fun. She place some bubbles around her chest to censor herself from him and tried to calm herself down. "Just… change the bulb, but be quick and close the door. Hurry up, it's getting cold,"

Junpei seemed alarmed that she let him off the hook that easily and almost forgot that the door was still open, allowing the heat to escape, "Oh! Heh heh, sorry Mina-chan," he tried lightening the mood a little, shutting the door and walking over to the one light that was out. The sudden decrease in light on one side made the room and décor look awkward, which Minako noticed each time she would use the bathroom. It would annoy her slightly, so if Junpei really did come up to fix it, she'd let him as long as he didn't try anything funny in her vulnerable state.

She had to admit to herself that though Junpei was sometimes a bit of an ass and that he may have had priorities different from the rest of the group, he was still an important aspect of the SEES team. She'd be lying if she said she didn't sometimes think of him as charming and protecting in a way, though she wouldn't dare ask him about his current status since the incident with Chidori awhile back. So, for the moment, Junpei was her close guy friend. Sure, they would tease and flirt every now and again, but it was never anything serious.

Just as he began to wrap up, he tried standing back to see how it looked, carrying the broken bulb in hand. He backed up more and more, and he managed to say, "Perfect!" before he fell backwards into the tub. Away went the broken bulb, which landed with sounds of broken glass. Out splashed some water and bubbles from the tub. Out came a yelp from Minako, now having a lap full of Junpei .

"Gah!" he was disgruntled by his pants and shirt now being wet, but just a glance to the left and he saw a naked Minako. He always joked about this kind of stuff but now being faced with the real deal of a girl in front of him, he was speechless and looked away shyly, "M-Minako, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen, I was just…!"

She gave him a tired look, as if to say 'Really?' though she herself seemed a bit bashful at the amount of contact they were having. After a short moment, he finally spoke, "Listen, I'm real sorry, okay? I never meant for this to happen, I swear it," he stroked his arms, still looking away, "Mitsuru told me to do it! I didn't know you'd be in here. Honest!"

As he seemed to beg for his forgiveness, she sighed and gave up her adamant nature, "It's fine Junpei, just… don't pull this kind of stunt again, alright? At least knock before you come in and watch what you're doing,"

He chuckled, "You got it!" He smiled brightly and looked down and away once more, "Y'know, Mina-chan, you do look really nice with your hair down. You should do it more often… when you're not busy or anything, y'know?" Is he giving her a compliment…?

She smiled tiredly and quickly brought his face closer for a small yet friendly kiss on the cheek. Red pigment began to fill where her lips were as she said in exhaustion, "Get out of here, Junpei,"

In a flash, he followed her orders; he shook off his now soaked clothes, picked up as much broken glass as he could, and ran for the door, giving a cute smile and wave as he left her in privacy.


	4. Mitsuru

Always up to date with the leader, Mitsuru climbed the stairs in search of Minako. She had written up numerous topics (new battle strategies, possible upgrades on weapons, the usual deal) that she had wanted to go over with her as soon as possible, clutching the newly printed paper in hand. Seeing as how Minako wasn't in the main lobby, Mitsuru figured she would be occupying her room. A number of gentle knocks kinked at the door, "Arisato, I want to talk with you. Do you have a moment?" However, multiple knocks at the door proved fruitless, and no one responded.

At first Mitsuru thought she was being ignored but then she noticed the sound of running water from down the hall. 'Ah', she thought, 'she is taking a bath? Perhaps I can tell her I was here at the least,"

So she sauntered to the bathroom door and knocked gently, almost _too_ gently, as if her hands were trembling. Was she nervous? Minako's naked body could be lying beside this door. "Arisato…? This is Mitsuru. I wanted to talk with you,"

But no answer replied, just the sound of water gushing.

Now she felt a bit more upset… was Minako purposely ignoring her? Mitsuru thought about a number of things she could have done that day, but nothing to her knowledge came up. 'No, perhaps she didn't hear me,' she thought. She knocked with a little more emphasis and called out her name, yet no response.

By this point, Mitsuru was wondering if Minako was hurt and unconscious. She had seen a few TV shows where such events happened and no one knew the person was dead for hours! Though a notable woman to be calm in situations, she couldn't help but feel worried. She glanced at the door knob. 'I don't want to barge right in,' she thought, 'But… what if she's hurt…?'

She would rather be safe than sorry, so she turned the knob and opened the door slowly, creeping her head in just to take a peak.

The water was running, obviously, but Minako's eyes were closed. She lay in the tub, looking tired yet relaxed. Bubbles covered her body and some even wandered through the air. By the looks of it, she just seemed to be in a different state of mind, which could explain why she didn't hear the initial knock. She was definitely breathing, so that was a good sign.

Now Mitsuru felt shameful; how foolish it was to think that she was ignoring her or that she could have been dead! A blush spread across her face as she thought to herself and looked down at the bathroom floor. But wait! The sound of the water! She looked up and noticed the water slowly reaching the brim of the tub… it was about to overflow!

She knew she could just call to Minako and get her to snap out of her state to turn the water off, but she looked so relaxed. She's worked herself too hard after all. She deserved a break, and she didn't want to bother her. So Mitsuru silently slipped out of her shoes and entered the bathroom, closing the door as much as she could without making noise. She then crept to the tub and slowly turned the knobs of the bath so as not to disturb the leader as well as not to overflow the bath.

She sighed in relief and smiled, glad to have _somewhat _helped Minako. She was about to turn and leave when the paper she was holding slipped away from her grasp. A jolt of energy and anxiety shot up, as if a sharp feeling going up her back, and she grabbed for the paper. It waved around in the air playfully until eventually stopping on the edge of the tub, right next to Minako; half the paper dry, half the paper wet.

Multiple curses and swears were going through her mind now… how could she have let this happen? She should have folded the stupid paper and shoved it in her skirt pocket before even thinking about entering. Her first idea was to swipe the paper and run for the door… her stockings didn't make much noise along the hard-wood floor so she figured that could work. She reached for the paper, she picked it up, and the loudest drops of water dripped from the paper to the bath. She pulled it and waved it around best as she could… 'no matter,' she thought, 'I could always write up another one…' but she didn't have time to think as a soft voice mumbled her name.

"Mitsuru…?"

That's it. She was caught. She froze in place, standing and facing away from Minako, who had just come back to earth from wherever she was. Ashamed, embarrassed, and guilty… all of these emotions ran through her body. She blushed, wishing she could disappear.

"Arisato… I-I apologize for walking in without your permission…" she trembled a bit and spoke in as best of a calm tone as she could, ever being formal with the leader of SEES. "I only had interest in speaking to you about a number of topics regarding Tatarus, but you wouldn't respond and I thought you were—well, I wanted to check on you, t-to make sure you weren't—"

It was hopeless. She might as well be called a pervert.

Ever since Minako became the new leader of SEES, Mitsuru knew she had the greatest potential, so she always regarded her with respect. It wasn't until just recently that the two started forming a close friendship. It seemed very different… everyone else viewed Mitsuru as superior, but Minako would view her as a regular person, like a friend. She liked that about her. She liked a lot of things about Minako and wished she had some of her aspects too. Of all the superiority she seemed to have, she felt almost inferior compared to the new leader. She admired her greatly.

And here she was, just she and her, the other one naked no doubt.

Minako sighed, "It's okay, Mitsuru. Sorry I didn't hear you the first time, I was just dozing out," She leaned up and noticed how high the water was and gasped slightly, "T-The water! How'd it get so high so fast?!"

"It was about to overflow, so I-" she turned around to look at her and blushed when she caught a glimpse of her slender back, turning her body around but continuing to look down, "I came and turned it off before it could do so,"

Minako sighed in relief and looked at her, "Thanks, Mitsuru," she didn't feel too embarrassed with her. She'd already seen her in her worst clothes right after she woke up, and the two did use the hot springs together once. She knew Mitsuru wasn't the type to judge. "What do you have in your hand? Did it get wet?"

"O-oh!" Mitsuru picked up the paper, which was now generously soaked with water, "Y-Yes… it fell into the bath after I let it slip from my hands and I guess it caught your attention…"

"What is it? Can I see it?"

"Well, it's a number of topics that I wanted to speak with you about Tatarus but I can talk to you later if now isn't a good time,"

By this point, Minako knew she'd never get a second to herself as long as Tatarus was still around. Besides, she did enjoy talking to Mitsuru, so she gave in and gestured her to come closer, "Come here and sit down, let me see what you have,"

Surprised yet never known to disobey an order from the leader, she shyly sat down next to the bath and talked with Minako about possible plans for the next full moon.


	5. Akihiko

Sweaty and pumped up from having done a bit of practice in his room, Akihiko was full of energy. He sat on his bed to take a break and wiped his brow with a towel. Man, was he energized! He felt like he wanted to do something, perhaps go out for a bite to eat or even go into Tatarus for another round. The first person he thought about talking to about either choice was Minako… she seemed closest of a friend to him next to Shinjiro. Plus he enjoyed hanging out with her, maybe even a little bit more than friends on occasion. He sort of had a little crush on her and they've been flirting back and forth for a while now, but it was never really official between the two. The thought of taking her out somewhere made him feel a bit warm on the inside, so with a confident smile he stood and went to find her.

He took a quick peek in the main lobby to see if she was there; plenty of the other girls were, but Minako wasn't. He figured she was in her room then, so he jogged up the stairs. As he went to knock on her door, he stopped mid-knock and noticed how dirty his hands were. He'd been touching exercise equipment since he came home… boxing gloves, weight lifts, the works… so they were pretty sticky and gross. 'She'd probably not want to hang out with me if she saw my hands,' he thought, 'Maybe I should wash them really quick,'

Swiftly, he reached the end of the hall; he was en route to the men's room downstairs but stopped abruptly when he saw the available girl's room on the same floor. Reconsidering his directional choices, he thought that he could save time and energy by using this room. No one could be in it, right? He saw most of the girls around the dorm anyway while he was looking for Minako, so he should be safe.

He sprinted to the door, turned the knob, and walked right in. He wasn't paying attention to anything in front of him at all; all he kept looking at was his filthy hands… could he need new boxing gloves if they did that much to him? Or maybe he should invest in under-gloves… he closed the door behind him continuing to look down, and only when he heard a soft gasp in front of him did he widen his eyes in genuine surprise.

Lying in front of him was Minako, wet and covered with bubbles from the bath. He froze and looked at her, completely shocked. A prominent blush formed across his cheeks and, chivalrous a man he was, he closed his eyes and turned away, "M-Minako! I-I thought you were in your room!"

The girl quickly covered herself (well, her chest really) with her hands, surprised and blushing just as red as he was.

He shifted uncomfortably; instant shame and regret filled his thoughts, as well as a few unpleasant thoughts seeing as how he had his crush naked before him. He tried grabbing for the knob best as he could with his eyes closed. As you could imagine, it didn't end well.

"S-sorry, Minako! I didn't mean to barge in like that, I swear! I only wanted to wash my hands…!" he exclaimed in his defense and felt up the wall for the doorknob. For whatever reason, he couldn't find it but he didn't dare open his eyes to embarrass her even more. Though right about now, he seemed to be embarrassing himself, grabbing blindly for something if anything, "Dammit, where is the doorknob?!"

"Akihiko, calm down!" Minako realized he was trying to be respectful and leave as long as she was naked, but she didn't want him to be stressed out. She stood and stepped out of the tub, covering herself in her bath robe, "Aki, it's okay. You can open your eyes now, see?"

He slowly opened his eyes and sighed in relief when he saw her covered. Her hair was still down and wet and rarely did people see her hair down like that. He felt he was looking at something too beautiful to stare at, and looked away. Wait… did she call him Aki? Only Shinjiro called him that… he kinda liked how it sounded coming from her.

She approached him slowly. By now, he had pressed himself into the wall, ashamed of what he had seen and done. Not only did he break Minako's privacy and possible down time, but he saw her naked too! He fidgeted, not making eye contact with her as she came closer, "S-sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt you…"

She sighed, but smiled as if happy to see him anyhow, "It's fine, don't worry. I'm not mad at you but why did you come in again? To wash your hands?"

He cleared his throat slightly, "Yeah… you see, I just got done working out and I wanted to see if you wanted to go grab a bite to eat or something but I went to knock on your door and my hands were dirty so… yeah, I guess I didn't think anyone would be in here," he chuckled slightly and thought 'well, joke's on me…'

She giggled softly, "Why would I care about your hands, Aki?"

"Well, because, I don't know… I don't think girls like dirty hands…" he shrugged a bit at this statement. He hardly knew what girls liked anyway, but after living and working with so many of them he was just going by his best guess.

Minako looked down at his hands and he took one, lifting it up and examining it. It was pretty filthy and smelled like tar from the equipment he was using, but she didn't mind. They were big and strong, powerful enough to break someone's jaw. Yet they were so warm and caressing, almost caring. She held it between hers and kissed it, "But I like your hands anyway,"

He blushed… what was she trying to say? She lifted his hand to her cheek and pressed it against her, giggling slightly. He smiled a bit nervously, not sure how to interpret her actions. He chuckled, "Saying things like that could make people think of it in a different context,"

"Hm…" she thought a moment and smiled back at him, "Maybe I want certain people to take it that way…" It was at this point that Akihiko realized the space between their lips had disappeared. She kissed him, lightly but firmly, and he didn't really know how to react. He let her kiss him, while he kissed back just a little. He didn't think he would ever get here, but he made it at last. He was kissing Minako, and she tasted just like he thought she would. Another kiss was planted, and then another. He put his other hand to her cheek to pull her a little closer into their kiss. It lasted what seemed like forever, but Minako pulled away gently and giggled, "I would love to go out somewhere with you… could I just get dressed first?"

It was then that Akihiko remembered the situation, stood upright once more, and chuckled awkwardly, "Oh! Right, yeah, I'll just be downstairs," he let out, and he quickly turned around to leave the room, without a doubt content about his unfortunate accident.


	6. Fuuka

Appreciative of the help she'd been receiving and wanting a bit more advice, Fuuka knocked on Minako's door. She wanted to talk about the cooking club since only she and her made up the amount of members in the group. She figured the SEES leader would know what ingredients to buy for the next time and she didn't want to buy stuff rashly again. It'd kill her if something she bought in excess would spoil on her once more…

When no response was given, Fuuka assumed that she went out of the dorm, 'probably to do something better,' she thought. She walked through the girl's floor corridor and suddenly heard a large crack, as if something dropped on the floor. She jumped and looked around; it had to have been on the same floor since the crack sounded so close, but the other girls were in the main lobby. Fuuka took a protective stance.

She then heard a number of swears and 'No!'s coming from behind the bathroom door. Ever alert and worried, she rushed to the door and put her ear against it to listen. Is that Minako's voice? She wondered what could have happened… she knew by the running water that she could be taking a bath, but what dropped? Some glass, possibly the mirror? 'Oh no, I don't want her to cut her feet!' she thought. Could it be the tub itself? That didn't make much sense, but she once knew someone whose bathtub cracked and leaked water everywhere. It was a mess array of porcelain and soap.

She couldn't stand it and she wouldn't forgive herself if Minako was hurt. She knocked on the door. "Minako? It's Fuuka, what happened? I'm coming in!" She gave a warning before barging inside the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Minako was kneeling on the floor (wet and naked) holding her beloved headphones. One phone seemed to be cracked in half. Minako had almost of a teary look to her eyes, but looked more surprised that Fuuka came practically out of nowhere.

Fuuka paid no mind to her naked body and was more or less worried about her health, "I-I'm sorry! Are you okay? I heard a loud crack outside,"

Minako shivered a bit and sighed, "Fuuka! Oh, it's just you…" she was worried that perhaps a boy came in trying to save the day and also catch a glimpse. She looked down, "My headphones… I wanted to listen to some music while I was in the bath, but I went to grab them and they fell…" she seemed really sad about this.

Fuuka felt terrible about the situation; Minako was always carrying those things around wherever she went; it's no surprise that eventually they'd break. She walked over and kneeled next to her, "Here, let me see them," she was given the headphones and examined them. Indeed, the right one was cracked entirely in half and the casing came off, exposing the speaker. Though she wanted to initially talk about the cooking club, it appeared she gave herself a new mission.

"I think I can fix these… it doesn't look too hard to do. Would that make you feel better?"

Minako's eyes lit up and she smiled a little, "Could you really do that…? I wouldn't know how to fix electronics..."

Fuuka smiled, "Sure, it wouldn't be a problem at all!"

Minako pulled Fuuka into a hug, to which Fuuka was surprised and was even blushing a little, but she smiled and hugged her back. Any sort of situation where she could make Minako feel better was a good one. She always looked up to her and wanted to be like her in a way. She helped her become more persistent and compassionate towards people, and she taught her that everybody contributes something differently to the group: that's what made them a team. So it was okay to have a different trait and power than the next person. It was okay to be your own individual, to be unique. She thought of her as a close friend, almost a sister. It was a bond that could never be broken.

Fuuka helped Minako up and even back into the tub. She realized the leader hardly had any time to herself and her broken headphones were the last thing she needed to worry about. After she made Minako feel comfortable once again and ensured her that her headphones would be okay, she left the bathroom so the other could finally relax.


	7. Aigis

Aigis saw Minako when she rushed up the stairs; unlike the others, she knew why she was in such a hurry. It had been obvious that Minako wanted to relax in a bath since not only had she given off a vibe that she wanted to relax, but Aigis also noticed periodically through the day that her hands had a bit more oil on them than they usually had. It was time she'd bathe anyway.

Though she also noticed how beat to hell she was. She didn't like seeing Minako like that and wondered if she could help at all. She had received a bit of mechanical upgrades from Ikutsuki awhile back so perhaps they could be of use to her. She walked up the stairs after a moment or two of letting Minako get settled and stood in front of the bathroom door. She knocked, but said nothing before she walked inside.

Minako, now already in the bath, jumped a little at Aigis' surprising entry. She blushed and covered herself instantly as the water was running, "Aigis! What are you doing here?"

"I am here to assist you," she stated. Aigis always seemed pretty blunt and obvious and she didn't think much of Minako being naked (after all, it was only the natural state of the human body. Big deal.) so she seemed confused at the standoffish nature of her, "Why do you seem afraid of me right now?"

Minako looked down as if in thought; she couldn't simply say, 'because I'm naked' so she tried explaining it in a different way, "Well… it's just that, I'm not wearing anything. Usually people are embarrassed in front of others when they're not wearing anything,"

Aigis didn't see the connection, "I do not see why you would be embarrassed since you are in good physical condition, are you not?"

Minako sighed. It was obsolete to try and explain it further to her, and it wasn't her fault that she couldn't understand. She let it go, "Nevermind. What did you mean by 'assistance'?"

Aigis seemed excited for some reason; she was very protective of Minako and if she could make her feel good, she would do anything to do it. When Minako asked for 100%, Aigis would give 110%. She walked a bit closer, "I have received numerous upgrades to my machinery, mostly my hands, and seeing as how you look very tired, I figured I could relieve some of your stress,"

Minako seemed more worried and confused if anything; Aigis wanted to test her machine upgrades on her? What was she, a test subject? And that didn't sound too great either since the first thing she thought of was her machine gun arm. She was very not interested at all, but it peaked her curiosity, "What upgrade are you talking about…?"

"Here, I will show you," she stated and walked behind the bath. She kneeled down behind Minako and starting rubbing her back with her hands. But something was different… her hands were shaking, but it very pleasurable… they were vibrating!

Minako jolted up in surprise but soon relaxed at Aigis' touch. She stroked her neck, her shoulders, and the back of her head. It felt like heaven. Minako closed her eyes and sighed in relief, leaning back into her hands.

Aigis seemed happy that she could do something to make Minako more comfortable. She cared for her deeply, though whatever feelings she had for her seemed a mystery. She didn't quite understand it yet herself, but didn't need to for now. She helped her realized that although she was a robot, she too had feelings like everyone else. She continued rubbing her back until soft little snores came from Minako. Had she fallen asleep?

Aigis chuckled and turned off the water for her. Always caring for her safety, she stayed there with her so she wouldn't fall into the water and drown by accident. Though nothing to do, she was far from bored as long as she could be by Minako's side.


	8. Koromaru

He whimpered in boredom. Koromaru wanted to go for a walk; well, maybe not necessarily a walk, but he at least wanted something to do for the time being. However, everyone seemed to be too busy to go with him: Fuuka was on her laptop, Junpei was watching TV, Mitsuru was on the phone (for an exceptionally long time, no less), and all the others seemed to be out for the night. It was nearly hopeless, but he was pretty adamant about his walk.

He trotted over to where Junpei was sitting and whimpered lightly, his ears lowered. Junpei looked down curiously and scratched behind Koro's ears, which he took a liking to.

"What is it, boy? I bet you wanna go for a walk, huh?" he asked him reluctantly, almost apologetically, "I'd take yah, but I gotta watch this movie for one of my classes,"

Koromaru whined softly and lowered his head. Junpei genuinely felt bad and looked around for the others, but he saw the same as Koro did just a moment ago. Then he remembered something, "Hey, don't look so down. Maybe Minako can take you? I think she's in her room. You can go check,"

Koromaru wagged his tail eagerly and rushed up the stairs; he wasn't used to being on the girl's floor but he figured he could get his way around if he just used his senses. He would have needed to check each door to see which one was Minako's, but he didn't need to! He heard her voice clear through the bathroom door and sniffed under it. He could sense her old clothes lying on the floor somewhere; it was definitely her in the bathroom!

He barked at the door, not enough to be very loud but enough to get her attention, followed by a low whimper and soft scratch on the door.

"Koro-chan…? Is that you?" Minako asked from behind the door. "One minute, okay?"

He didn't like waiting, especially if it meant whether or not he'd be going for a walk, but he sat patiently in front of the door. Every now and again he would whine, to which she would say, 'I know,' or 'hold on." Eventually she opened the door; she had a bath robe on and her hair was wet. She kneeled down to embrace him and pet his fur. He barked happily and nuzzled into her robe.

"What is it, Koro-chan? Are you alright?"

He whimpered lightly and trotted about impatiently… Minako knew that these were the signs that he wanted to go for a walk. She sighed, not really wanting to go and spend energy, but she figured it would make him happy. Nobody else would have taken him anyhow, except possibly Shinjiro…

"Alright, we can go for a walk. Just let me dress first, okay?"

Koromaru barked and wagged his tail. He seemed pretty pleased with her answer. He was always loyal to her commands, inside and outside of Tatarus. He didn't think of her as his new owner, but more of a friend and person to look up to. He always enjoyed his walks with her more than the others anyway. She closed the door again to put on her new clothes, and he waited with patience until she opened the door once more.


	9. Ken

Ken needed someone to talk to, and his go-to person to talk with was Minako. Though he definitely felt inferior to her and didn't think he even deserved to talk to her, he enjoyed it and always felt better after everything was taken off his chest. Besides, Minako was one of the only ones who could really understand him. He cherished every moment they had together, whether they were going out to eat or watching a movie or even battling together in Tatarus. He adored being in her company.

The issue at hand was nothing short of simple confusion; he wanted to talk about feelings. What kind of feelings? Everything in general. Ken was still pretty young compared to the rest of the group, so it was realistic that he was confused about a lot of topics. He didn't know what to think of them, so he figured talking it out would be the best option.

Reaching the girl's floor of the dorm, it was practically a maze for him; though pretty much the same layout as boy's floor, each door looked the same so he had no idea which rooms were which. There were no writings on the doors, no clear indicators, nothing at all! He trembled a bit; he wondered what would happen if he got caught glancing at different rooms on the girl's floor like a pervert… he shook his head, clearly not wanting to find out. He rushed himself and decided to listen in on each door. He heard Yukari's voice behind a door, that's one, and then he heard Fuuka's voice behind the next one. So far, so good…

But the next two doors were silent. He remembered seeing Mitsuru down in the main lobby so he figured that one of them had to be hers. But then what about Minako's door? It was quiet as well.

He pouted childishly and started to trudge away, thinking she had gone out, but then he heard her voice from across the hall. A-ha! She was in her room! 'That's strange though,' he thought, 'What a weird room to be across the hall from all the other ones,' He pressed his ear and heard her voice. This was it! Excitement flowing through his veins, he turned the knob and rushed inside.

Once he came inside, his face was suddenly covered in confusion, guilt, and blush. Minako was in a bathtub covered with soap, her hair slinking around her shoulders. She yelped and covered herself with her hands, blushing at the door suddenly open. He couldn't believe his eyes… this isn't her room! This is the bathroom!

He stuttered in embarrassment, confused in every possible way, "O-Oh! Minako, I-I…! I thought this was your room!" He trembled in fear. His gut instinct was to get out of there pronto, "I-I'm sorry!" With a swift turn, he quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door, trying to catch his breath. What had just happened? He figured he could recall the incident safely from his room.

Once on his floor, inside his room, Ken covered himself in his blankets. He was afraid of Minako coming downstairs and yelling at him, possibly beating him up. How was he supposed to know THAT was the bathroom?! He didn't know, it wasn't his fault! He knew he was going to get hell for that… He also had another feeling... was Minako naked? 'Of course she had to be, dumbass, she was taking a bath,' he thought, 'You don't take a bath with clothes on.' He blushed at what he could remember seeing of her. He didn't see much, but he saw enough. Her delicate shoulders, her slight muscle from using her weapon, her wet hair… His thoughts of her floated away as he heard a sharp knock at his door. He winced, "Who is it…?"

There was no answer, just an opening of the door. It was Minako, redressed and her hair down, still damp from the bath.

Ken nuzzled beneath his blankets and shivered, closing his eyes in fear, "I-I said I was sorry! Please don't be mad at me, I just wanted to talk to you!" He hadn't realized that he had started shouting, "I-I didn't know it was the bathroom, I thought it was your room! It didn't saw it was the bathroom…!"

Minako chuckled lightly and sat on his bed with him, "It's okay, Ken. I know you wouldn't have barged in if you knew,"

He opened his eyes in surprise and looked up at her, "So… you're not mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad," she said and smiled to him.

He smiled back and chuckled, "Good." Though he still felt an awkward presence in the air and looked down.

"What did you want to talk about, Ken?" She remembered that he said he wanted to talk and figured she would bring it up.

"O-Oh, it was nothing. I was just confused about feelings, I… I don't know if I wanna talk about it anymore," he laughed a little and scratched behind his head. He lost his appetite for talking and just wanted to be alone for now.

"Alright. If you still want to talk later, I'll be upstairs. I'll even sit in the lounge area so you know where I'll be, okay?" She tried to reassure him.

He nodded and smiled, "Okay, maybe later,"

She smiled and rubbed his head, messing up his hair a little. He chuckled and shook his head to rearrange it, but by the time he moved the hair out of his face, she had already gotten up and left his room.


	10. Shinjiro

If anyone would want to see him, it'd be her.

Shinjiro had just been let out of the hospital early after numerous and perilous months in special care. Who would have known that his old pocket watch would have saved him? He had only just come back to his senses when he sat up in bed and suddenly remembered everything. The Tatarus mission, the SEES group, Minako… all of these things he had left behind for almost four months now. He couldn't help himself but rush out and reunite with everyone, especially _her_.

It was pretty late in the evening so when he returned to the dorm, no one was in the lobby. Koromaru was an exception, but he was sleeping soundly on one of the couches. Shinjiro carefully stepped by him so as to not disturb his precious dreams, and made his way up the stairs. By now, his mind was telling him to go to bed in his own room and forget about reunions tonight, but the rest of his body urged him to go up another level.

'This is ridiculous,' he thought, 'Would she really want to see _me_, right _now_?'

He had already figured that she was sleeping at this hour, but his legs seemed to move on their own as he trudged quietly up to the girl's floor. It was very dark, minus the faint hallway lights that seemed to be running on the last of their bulb energy. He had started walking through but soon cursed to himself as he couldn't see, becoming lost inside the darkness. He stood still and closed his eyes, trying to allow them to adjust for a moment or two, and as he opened them once more, he saw a door with a light coming from beneath the door from the other side. He didn't know whose room it was until he caught a noticeable scent; it was a light, fruity scent. Oh, he was more than familiar with that scent. It was the scent of Minako. He had found her room in the dark. It was only until he heard her soft murmurs that he realized she was awake. This was it.

He knocked twice on the door before turning the knob and opening the door.

There was Minako, but not in the room he had expected. It was a bathroom, and the tub was already in use. Seeing it filled with water and soap bubbles, as well as a naked Minako, his eyes widened in surprise. He turned to the side as a deep blush formed across his face. He grumbled under his breath, "You oughta get these doors labeled, y'know…"

An indescribable feeling overcame Minako; though initially covering her chest from fear of someone disturbing her, she had a smile from ear to ear and was lost for words. She climbed out of the bath and rushed over to embrace him tightly. She was incandescently happy as she nuzzled into his pea coat.

Shinjiro simply grunted in annoyance, yet pulled his beanie over his eyes in embarrassment of her naked body so close to his, "Hey, watch it, will yah? You're gonna get soap all over this coat,"

She didn't let go, she only looked up at him. She almost looked like she was tearing up over his arrival, "Shinji…" Her voice was just as sweet as he remembered it, and he tensed up as she spoke, "I missed you so much…"

He still couldn't figure the girl out; why of all people she could have chosen did she happen to fall for him? He thought he'd been doing her a favor by telling her to go and hang out with the others instead of him. He thought he was trying to protect her from being hurt by his demeanor or his eventual fate. But he was more than wrong. She was just as stubborn and persistent as he, which really said a lot to him. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she gave him a curveball and unbalanced his equilibrium. Since the very beginning when he first met her, back when he was just doing a simple check of Akihiko in the hospital, he knew she was going to be trouble, and he vowed to not back down, to not give in, to hold back.

Until now.

He took her chin and lifted her it so he could kiss those soft lips once more; they tasted just like they used to too. She kissed back firmly, her arms wrapped around his neck. Another kiss was planted, and then another, and another… the kisses became deeper as he pulled her close to him, his hands warming up against her back and sliding down to grip her ass.

She gasped and broke the kiss, her face becoming flushed with red as a smirk formed on his face.

Once she saw that smirk on his face, she gave him a slight glare. He pulled her head closer to him until she was pressed into his chest. "I missed you too…" he mumbled a bit into her hair. It smelled so fresh. Everything about her was simply intoxicating to him. He wondered how he was able to control himself since he knew her. He could no longer deny his feelings for her; the fact that she kept pursuing him even after he tried to push her away made him want her even more. He could no longer fight it; he loved her. "Minako…"

She looked up at him again as if to question what he wanted. He hesitated a bit but soon spoke, "I want to be with you tonight,"

She smiled and turned to grab her robe, applying it on her body and allowing the tub's water to sink back into the pipes.

"Come with me,"

She took his hand and led him out to the hallway towards her room, turning off the light to the bathroom and closing its door.


	11. Minato

Minato barged right in, closing the bathroom door behind him.

Not a second thought, not a surprised look, not even an acknowledgement of her presiding space, he starting stripping his clothes in front of the tub.

Minako covered herself as the door flew open, but sighed in relief (and slight annoyance) as it was only her twin who walked inside without warning. "You could have knocked before coming in, you know,"

Minato didn't look up as he kept taking off his clothes; his shirt, his own pair of headphones, his slacks, his shoes, and lastly his underwear, "The bathroom on our floor is under renovations. I figured you wouldn't care,"

It was true, she couldn't deny it. The Arisato siblings typically took baths together when they were growing up. They really thought nothing of it and though the two were polar opposites, they were close enough to not care about bathing with each other. They only started bathing separately when they started living in the dorm.

"How did you know I was even in here? It could have been one of the other girls," she asked and scowled at him.

He shrugged, "I used common sense. I just know," She gave him a look as if didn't believe him. She knew they were twins but they didn't have THAT much telepathy going on. He probably just heard the water running and saw the other girls in the lobby so he knew she was the only one using it. Either that or he really didn't mind popping in "accidentally" on one of the girls. He was practically dating all of them anyway.

Minato slowly balanced himself and walked in, one leg at a time. Then he sat down in the warmth and bubbles. Wait… bubbles? He looked confused and questioned her, "Why are there bubbles in here? And… why so many…?!"

Minako smiled, "You like them? They're supposed to make you feel and smell fresh. Like, invigorate you or something,"

He grimaced, "They're giving me a headache…"

She pouted. Perhaps it was because he was the type of boy who didn't like bubble baths. She splashed a little water at him playfully. He lifted an eyebrow and splashed a bit back. The water war lasted a little while until the two both started laughing (well, more like she was giggling and he was chuckling softly).

She smiled brightly, glad to have someone to play and have "down time" with her. "Hey, how about I scrub your back if you scrub mine? Like we used to back at home?"

He sighed and looked away, as if to think about the proposition. Then he replied, "Sure, whatever," and he gestured for her to turn around, his face all the ambiguous and emotionless as possible. She turned around as he grabbed a sponge, and the two helped each other relax after a long day.


End file.
